Steel Shots: First Column Installed at NYC’s One Vanderbilt

(Photos: Max Touhey)

June302017

With the installation of its first steel column, One Vanderbilt – soon to be New York City’s second-tallest skyscraper – officially began its ascent last week. Banker Steel Company (an AISC member and certified fabricator) provided the 26,000 tons of domestically milled and fabricated structural steel for development, which included the first 20-ton column installed. SL Green Realty and AECOM Tishman say the supertall skyscraper will add to the modernization of East Midtown’s business district, as the office building will boast column-free floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and 360-degree views of the city. Steel installation is expected to take place over the next 2½ years, close to the building’s 2020 completion date.

Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), the tower will rise to 1,401 ft and span over one million sq. ft, with 58 stories and a 30,000-sq.-ft amenity space for tenants. The skyscraper sits adjacent to Grand Central Terminal and will encompass an entire block, bordered by Madison and Vanderbilt Avenues to the west and east, with East 43rd and East 42nd Streets to the north and south. Once complete, the tower will include direct underground connections to the subway system, implementing $220 million in transit and infrastructure upgrades.